Picasso exhibit to open in September at Elmhurst Art Museum

“Picasso: Fifty Years Later,” an exhibition exploring the Modern master’s work, lasting influence and legacy will be on display later this year at the Elmhurst Art Museum.

Timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Pablo Picasso’s death in 1973, the three-part exhibition features works by Picasso and his contemporaries such as Alexander Archipenko, Wifredo Lam, Fernand Leger and Joan Miro; a gallery dedicated to the demanding process of Picasso’s printmaking; and a presentation of contemporary figurative artists today.

Offering the opportunity to reflect on both lasting impressions and new interpretations of the famed artist, “Picasso: Fifty Years Later” takes place at the Elmhurst Art Museum from Sept. 9 to Jan. 7, 2024.

With “Picasso: Fifty Years Later,“ the Elmhurst Art Museum is participating in the worldwide Picasso 1973-2023 Celebration, with exhibitions taking place across the country and around the globe. The museum will host the exhibition after undergoing a $1.1 million facility improvement project in the spring.

“We’re honored that the Elmhurst Art Museum can bring the global salute of Pablo Picasso to Chicagoland. This is an incredible opportunity to present an artist that continues to captivate artists and the general public alike,” John McKinnon, executive director of the Elmhurst Art Museum, said in the release.

The three-part tribute begins with Modern works from the Sally J. and Raymond J. Allen Collection, including an introduction to Picasso’s work, life and peers. The gallery will feature several Cubist works that show how Picasso and the other artists of his time responded to the technologically driven Modern age, with works by Picasso, Archipenko, Lam, Leger and Miro, among others.

The exhibition continues with the debut of a nationally touring show “Picasso and the Progressive Proof: Linocut Prints from a Private Collection.” It includes 17 progressive proofs that show the detailed steps and demanding linoleum block printmaking processes that allowed the artist to experiment with recurring themes throughout his career, such as subjects by the Old Masters, the Spanish tradition of bullfighting and classical mythology.

After its debut at the Elmhurst Art Museum, “Picasso and the Progressive Proof: Linocut Prints from a Private Collection” will travel to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art (August 2024) and Hilliard Art Museum at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (February 2025), with other locations to be announced. The exhibition is accompanied by an 88 page, full-color, hardcover catalogue by Richard P. Townsend, the curator of Picasso and the Progressive Proof, that was published by Skira Editore, Milan.

The final gallery of “Picasso: Fifty Years Later” will include a curated selection of works in conversation with Picasso by area painters Laura Berger, Liz Flores, Richard Hull, Leasho Johnson and Jose Lerma. Titled “50 Years After Picasso,” the gallery explores how contemporary artists have challenged, furthered and broken from Picasso’s experiments in representation since his passing 50 years ago, inviting new interpretations and perspectives of his wider legacy.

“Picasso: Fifty Years Later” is co-curated by John McKinnon and Townsend. Picasso and “The Progressive Proof: Linocut Prints from a Private Collection” is organized by Townsend Art Advisory, LLC.